Dry January on North Coast; Wet early winter means average water year so far

A North Coast winter that began with storm after drenching storm has petered out into one of the driest months of January on record, with no major precipitation in sight.

Alex Dodd, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Eureka office, said the area did see three-quarters of an inch of rain one day this month, but only a total of 2.94 inches. The normal January rainfall total is 6.5 inches.

Just 16 Januarys have been drier than this one since the weather service started taking records locally in 1887, said National Weather Service hydrologist Reginald Kennedy. Five of the driest months have occurred since 1990, he said.

Despite the recent dry weather, Dodd said the region has seen about average rainfall overall since the beginning of the season because of the surplus water from the early, wet storms in November and December.

"The normal has been catching up to us," Dodd said. It's not worrisome, he said -- unless the trend continues. "If we go through most of February with dry weather, that may be a concern."

California snow surveyors have confirmed the water content of snow that has accumulated in the Sierra is slightly below average for this time of year.

Measurements last week showed the water content at 93 percent of normal statewide. That's not bad -- but a month ago it was at 140 percent.

The North Coast region snow pack is at 87 percent, Dodd said. Again, that's not a bad number -- but if it doesn't snow much in February or March, the snowpack average could plummet to 54 percent, he said.

California water agencies depend on a melting snowpack to replenish the state's reservoirs throughout the summer. About one-third of the state's water comes from snowmelt.

The level of Upper Klamath Lake in Oregon, which feeds the Klamath River and accompanying local resources like salmon, is about a foot below average, according to the Bureau of Reclamation. The reservoir started the winter season at a 20-year low that had local fish advocates concerned after such a prosperous salmon year.

The dry weather pattern recently is the result of a jetstream heading north into British Columbia, and a ridge of high pressure that set up off the coast that has kept any wet storms at bay, Dodd said.

The North Coast could see a small amount of rain midway through next week, but it won't bring much, and will move through quickly, he said.

"The hose will get turned back on," Dodd said. "Enjoy it while it lasts. Hopefully it doesn't turn into a prolonged, wet spring."